The Cure review by The Cure

Sound — 10
The music was very well composed. The band has been around for a little over 2 decades. There isnt really any guitar solos but it's still very enjoyable to listen to. A lot of it is very pop-oriented, but not "sugar" or "bubble-gum" pop.

Lyrics — 8
The lyrics are pretty good. Robert Smith is a very good writer. He mostly writes about different themes of love but its not too repetitive.

Overall Impression — 10
It's not as good as The Cure's other albums but its still very enjoyable to listen too. The best songs for me were Lost, Labrynth, Anniverary, and Alter. Ending. If I lost it or it god stolen, I'd wait a long time to miss it and then I would get it for my birthday from someone.

Sound: Good on the technical side. I really enjoyed the variation in the sounds and effects the band put together for this album. Even though they included many parts of the "Cure Sound" some of the new elements are interesting. I do not enjoy the overall Nu-Metal sound at all, but the method and manner of the band playing their instruments is good. // 8
Lyrics: As usual, Smith has grabbed some good songs out of his bag-of-words, but some are pushing mediocrity. I don't know if he was attempting to reach waaaaay back to the beginning style of the band, or if it was the influence of the never-sufficiently-to-be-
damned-enough producer Robinson, but some of the songs have a "F-YOU!" quality. It is one this to delve into the heart and soul of emotion, it is another thing to make everything an angry-whine. A trend for fans, even those who are just lightly attached to the band, is the way they can connect with the lyrics. They usually speak to them, relate to them, and their experiences in some way. I have noted time and again in fan and listener reviews that there is no such connection in this set of songs. I agree. I just could not relate to the songs in the ways I could most of the songs from the rest of the Cure's catalog. // 5
Impression: What the heck happened? I had heard so much about this relationship that had developed between Smith and Ross Robinson that when I eventually obtained this album I had high hopes. In interviews, Robinson claimed to be a big cure fan. I was hoping he would bring forth all that which the Cure is known for while adding new elements to freshen up the sound. Simply put, this album is not something I will listen to much due to the overall "nu-metal" influences on a band that should have absolutely nothing to do with that style of music. Granted, there are elements of playing styles that transcend musical genres, but this is a mashup that just does not work for me. If I want to listen to Nu-Metal, I will put in a Slipknot or Korn cd, not a Cure cd. With the right band Robinson does wonders. This time it was not so hot. The technical merits are the only thing that elevate the album. // 6

Lyrics: 7 / 10
Vocals: 9 / 10
Impression: 8.5 / 10
Sound: 8.5 / 10
"Labyrinth" is quite possibly one of The Cure's best songs they've made since Wish's "Open" or Disintegration's title track. This cd has a very raw & heavier sound that older fans will appreciate but not listen to often, while newer fans will be kicking themselves in the ass for only just listening to them now.
And this is not nu-metal, despite what anyone will say. What you have here is essentially a Cure-heavy album that sounds like a band being jolted with an amphetamine after the tranquil but slightly erratic Bloodflowers' foray into the the more shoegaze side of the band while completing Smith's beloved trilogy. This is a much more focused & aggressive effort, as if the band, perhaps Smith himself, are fighting life and death. It's also, oddly, the only album many of my mainstream friends will have of The Cure. However, the shadows of their past songs mold into a new dark dynamic that you could see as an interesting mesh of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, & Wish, could help explain why the mainstream found this alluring, as those two albums were particular mainstream sucesses (Disintegration of course, is on that list, but this album is much faster & less dreamy).
Along with the new sound, Smith deliver's more consistent vocals while turning up the volume and dialect. The lyrics are standard Cure-fair, but pleasently more abstract, as well as more concerning finding a way possibly towards tommarow, rightfully fitting in with the instrumentals urgent executions. Without Bloodflowers, this album probably couldn't happen: With Smith's trilogy completed, Bloodflowers coming dangerously close to being the last album (saved by the rightful critical attention and accolades by reviewers & newer bands), The Cure have nothing left to prove after bouncing back from the backlash of what could've been a 2nd to last album (Wild Mood Swings), leaving Smith to go on to further perfect a re-invigorated sound with returning Porl Thompson on the as yet untitled 13th album.
The self-titled is a great bow-out for a total line up that spanned 4 or 5 albums, and an interesting foreshadow of how The Cure continues to fascinate all those who listen.
Notable tracks: Labyrinth, Anniversary, The Promise, Alt.End, Truth, Taking Off, Goodness & Beauty.